Where Were You? America Remembers the JFK Assassination

Editors Russo and Moses capture the aura of an American tragedy through the collected memories of 50 people who lived through the Kennedy era. Subjects interviewed range from former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton to the shoe salesman who called the police about a suspicious looking character hanging about the streets of Oak Cliff, Texas, not long after Kennedy was shot. The book includes diverse perspectives, from assassination buffs, like lawyer Vincent Bugliosi, who believe that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone to fringe political player Carlos Bringuier, a Cuban exile who crossed paths with Oswald in New Orleans and adamantly believes that Fidel Castro was involved in the assassination. Joe English describes the few days at the White House immediately after Kennedy's death, giving the reader an insider's view of the family and JFK's advisors. It was a surreal time that this book brings down to the emotional level, given as much time and focus to how people were feeling as to the nuances of when events happened. The editors craft a loose narrative with no definitive answers as to what happen, who did it, and why, except simply that it hurt at a deep level for many people. That's not news, but to hear it once again from so many different voices has a surprisingly powerful effect. (Nov.)